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“I don’t know. I mean, I would imagine these people aren’t the sanest in the world. They’re probably paranoid and delusional. Maybe they thought he was an alien, the same reason you aimed a gun at me. He was supposed to be home by one and his phone is off. That’s all I can say. ”
I stand and walk to the kitchen table. I grab the slip of paper with the address and phone number of where Henri has gone.
“This is where he went today,” I say. “Do you have any idea where it is?”
He looks at the slip, then at me.
“You want to go there?”
“I don’t know what else to do. ”
“Why can’t you just call the cops and tell them what happened?”
I sit down on the couch, thinking of the best way to respond. I wish I could tell him the truth, that the best-case scenario with the cops getting involved would be Henri and I leaving. The worst case would be Henri being questioned, maybe fingerprinted, thrust into the sluggish-paced bureaucracy, which would give the Mogadorians the chance to move. And once they find us, death is imminent.
“Call which cops? The ones in Paradise? What do you think they would do if I told them the truth? It would take days for them to take me seriously, and I don’t have days. ”
Sam shrugs. “They might take you seriously. Besides, what if he just got held up, or his phone broke? He might be on his way home now. ”
“Maybe, but I don’t think so. Something feels off, and I have to get there as soon as possible. He was supposed to be home hours ago. ”
“Maybe he got into an accident. ”
I shake my head. “Maybe you’re right, but I don’t think you are. And if he’s being harmed, then we’re wasting time. ”
Sam looks at the sheet of paper. He bites his lip and remains silent for fifteen seconds.
“Well, I know vaguely how to get to Athens. No idea how to get to this address once we’re there, though. ”
“I can print directions from the internet. I’m not worried about that. The thing I am worried about is transportation. I have a hundred and twenty dollars in my room. I can pay someone to drive us, but I have no idea who I would ask. There aren’t exactly a whole lot of taxis in Paradise, Ohio. ”
“We
can take our truck. ”
“What truck?”
“I mean my dad’s truck. We still have it. It’s sitting in the garage. It hasn’t been touched since he disappeared. ”
I look at him. “Are you serious?”
He nods.
“How long has it been? Does it even still run?”
“Eight years. Why wouldn’t it still run? It was nearly new when he bought it. ”
“Wait, let me get this right. You’re suggesting we drive there ourselves, me and you, two hours to Athens?”
Sam’s face twists into a devious smile. “That’s exactly what I’m suggesting. ”
I lean forward on the sofa. I can’t help but smile as well.
“You know we’ll be in deep shit if we get caught, right? Neither of us has our license. ”
Sam nods. “My mom will kill me, and she’ll maybe kill you, too. And then there is the law. But yeah, if you really think your dad is in trouble, what other choice do we have? If the roles were reversed, and it was my dad who was in trouble, I would go in a second. ”
I look at Sam. There isn’t an ounce of hesitation on his face in his suggesting that we drive illegally to a town two hours away, and that’s not to mention that neither of us knows how to drive and that we have no idea what to expect once getting there. And yet Sam is on board. It was his idea even.
“All right then, let’s drive to Athens,” I say.
I throw my phone in my bag, make sure everything is zipped and in order. Then I walk through the house, taking everything in as though it will be the last time I see any of it. It’s foolish thinking, and I know I’m merely being sentimental, but I’m nervous and there is a sort of calming sensation to it. I pick things up, then I set them down. After five minutes I am ready.
“Let’s go,” I say to Sam.
“You want to ride on the back of my bike?”
“You ride; I’ll jog alongside. ”
“What about your asthma?”
“I think I’ll be okay. ”
We leave. He gets on his bike. He tries to ride as fast as he can, but he is not in great shape. I jog a few feet behind and pretend that I’m winded. Bernie follows us as well. By the time we get to his house, Sam is dripping with sweat. Sam runs into his room and comes out with a backpack. He sets it on the kitchen counter and goes to change his clothes. I peer inside of it. There is a crucifix, a few cloves of garlic, a wooden stake, a hammer, a blob of Silly Putty, and a pocketknife.
“You do realize these people aren’t vampires, right?” I say when Sam walks back in.
“Yeah, but you never know. They’re probably crazy, like you said. ”
“And even if we were hunting vampires, what the hell is the Silly Putty for?”
He shrugs. “Just want to be prepared. ”
I pour a bowl of water for Bernie Kosar and he laps it all up immediately. I change clothes in the bathroom and remove the door-to-door directions from my bag. Then I walk out and through the house and into the garage, which is dark and smells of gasoline and old grass clippings. Sam flips on the light. Various tools have rusted with disuse and hang on the Peg-Board walls. The truck sits in the center of the garage, covered with a large blue tarp that’s coated with a thick layer of dust.
